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I have one basic “food rule” that I try to follow (ok, more than one, but this one is important): if I can’t pronounce a word in the ingredient list, I try to steer clear of the product.

In the locker room today at the gym, someone had left a bottle of “Skinny Water” near the showers. Of course the name intrigued me, so I couldn’t resist the temptation to pick up this bottle and look at the proclaimed nutrients, chemicals, etc. It breaks my rule…I don’t know how to pronounce this–”EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate)” or this..”Cyanocobalamin.”

Further, WHY does such a thing EXIST?! Really?! What’s wrong with regular tap-or filtered- water? If we eat well and stay hydrated, exercise, and rest well, there shouldn’t be a need for a drink that super-charges our metabolism and revs our bodily engines.

More than the actual ingredients & promising powers, I’m irritated by the name. We have gone to great lengths to turn our bodies into something they were never meant to be. We were not created to be super-women (I am stereotyping in saying ‘women’) who sleep 5 hours a night, hydrate with lattes and “skinny water,” work full-time, and solve everyone’s problems. Very few women are a size 4…and have the bone structure to be that size..so, why the striving? Now I’m not suggesting “letting yourself go”…as exercise & healthy eating have their place. But I wonder, at what point will we be content with our bodies–when we lose 5,10, 50 pounds or tone that one problem area? Really, you think that will solve the contentment problem? It won’t–your inner critic won’t magically go away–you must take hold of it and discipline it. It’s easy to get addicted to this “If-only-I-lose-5-pounds-”mindset; remember though, impairment begins with the first “drink.”

A friend once told me that everyone likes the “new kid in class.” Tonight I have proved that this isn’t always so! I’ve been trying to expand my “exercise horizons” lately by steering clear of running and working on other muscle groups (you know, this incredible thing fitness gurus push called “cross-training”). And, I have been making slow progress in this.

So, since I didn’t go into the office today, I thought I would check out the group classes at the gym on Thursday nights. Spinning…excellent choice. My friend Chelsea & I have talked about this spinning phenomenon recently, and I thought I’d stay true to my “new horizons” kick. Allow me to recap the experience for you: I get into class…and there are maybe 6 people already on bikes, all of them decked out in -real- riding gear. (And, well, I’m not.) Of course, all of the bikes were taken…and so, I attempted to drag one over from the opposite wall. One woman could tell I was struggling and asked, “Are you new here?” Ha. What gave it away? Oh, but let’s talk about the instructor…because she is the motivating factor behind this post. She was quite condescending to the “new girl” and even made passive aggressive comments during the workout, sneaking a quick look at me!

After five minutes, I’m ready to be done. It was boring, and I was fantasizing about running on the treadmill…(so, you can imagine how those 5 minutes went). The whole time I’m wanting to scream, “THIS IS SO STUPID…AND I AM A RUNNER! DON’T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!” I wanted to tell the whole class that their “sport” is stupid, and I’m really not incompetent, I’m just used to standing up to exercise.The condescension came to a halt until the end of class when the instructor “reminded” me to clean off my bike with anti-bacterial wipes. Really?

So, on my chilly walk home through the snow, I started thinking…why was I so desiring approval from people in the spinning class? Why did I want them to know that I’m really not gym-illiterate? In fact, why do I desire approval from so many people– my co-workers, my friends, my family, my husband, and now…people I don’t even know from a can of paint! What is it in me that lacks the confidence, the self-differentiation, and at some point, the emotional boundaries? Do we ever reach a  point in our lives in which we are confident in our abilities–both professionally & personally –and therefore, not feel the need to have others approve? For me, this requires a lot of prayer & a lot of re-programming of my brain!

Spinning: fail. Next week I will have to try something new…hopefully it won’t leave me longing for the treadmill.

Sara